The new Powerbeats Pro: Stellar workout buds with one serious flaw
Just weeks after Apple revealed its somewhat lackluster new AirPods, the company surprised us with a new pair of Beats-branded buds which, like the AirPods, are totally wireless. The Powerbeats Pro call back to their sporty predecessors, earhooks and all, but with a more sophisticated design. Apple’s Beats brand is all grown up.
Packing class-leading battery life, water resistance, and an impressive sonic upgrade, the Powerbeats Pro seem primed to put the strikingly (OK, shockingly) popular AirPods — and plenty of other competitors — on notice. Unfortunately, while the Pro pack plenty of swoon-worthy features, a mix of intermittent connection woes and a lofty price tag put the brakes on our enthusiasm.
sports headphones onlineThe Powerbeats Pro look leaps and bounds more contemporary than the Powerbeats3, especially when you put them on. Gone is the clip-like design that houses the main components; that’s replaced by a housing that’s much thinner and less obtrusive. Pulling them from their massive charging case (more on that below) is a bit awkward at first due to their angled acoustic chambers, but tuggy magnets guide your hand as you place them in and out of their portable lair.
The earhooks cement the Powerbeats Pro as workout buds first, and they can be awkward to put in. After adjusting the base of the clips to your ears, though, they find their groove to go on relatively smoothly, with a fit that’s both secure and comfy. To our eyes, they also look a lot better than previous Powerbeats models — the clips are more elegant, striking a thinner, less obtrusive profile.With a 17-percent reduction in weight, and 23 percent less internal volume, the Pro are more efficiently designed, too. Best of all, of course, there’s no longer a clunky wire tethering each earbud together.
